Don't miss the pictures of the zoo days. The Lord willing, Creation Creature Features soon.

Review: See the previous sermon notes on the Web -

Every warning, struggle, temptation, promise, strategy, and victory 
in the Revelation can also play out in your life, your family, and your church!  
The choice is yours ................

The Text ("Blue Letter Bible"):  Revelation 19
(Strong's numbers, Hebrew-Greek lexicons, cross references, etc., can be accessed from the above link)

Review: Outline of The Revelation:  Key verses = Rev 1:8 & 19

I.  Character of Christ  for His Father's Glory (Who Was) (Things You've Seen) Chapter 1
What about your character, & your family's character, & that of your church?
Can other people see Jesus' goodness, unselfishness, & humility through each one?
  A.  Introduction (1:1-8) Of Jesus to His servants (1:4 Church)  (see also 6:1 Israel)
  B.  Post-Incarnate, glorified Jesus (1:9-18)

II.  Counsel of Christ for the Church (Who Is)  (Things Which Are)  Chapters 2-3
This counsel also applies to you personally, your family, your local church, & all of "Christianity".
  A.  Command to Prophesy (1:19)
  B.  Seven Churches Counseled (1:20) ESP-TS-PL  (Praise before correction!)
  C.  Ephesus (2:1-7)                Loveless
  D.  Smyrna (2:8-11)               Persecuted
  E.  Pergamos (2:12-17)          Compromising
  F.  Thyatira (2:18-29)            Corrupt
  G.  Sardis (3:1-6)                    Dying
  H.  Philadelphia (3:7-13)       Revived
   I.  Laodicea (3:14-22)           Lukewarm (no praise)

III.  Consequences of Christ for the Church, Israel & the World  Chapters 4-22
         (Who is to come again!) (Things which will happen soon!)
Are you ready for your future?  The judgment seat of Christ?
  A. Church In Heaven

1.  The Rapture  (Jesus Rescues His Bride) up to Heaven (4:1)
2.  The King & His Bride prepare for the future. (4:1-5:14) (see also Ch 19)

  B. Tribulation of Israel (Jacob's) Trouble on Earth (6:1-18:24) (Daniel's 70th Week)

1.  Seals (Seven) of Judgments (Rev 6:1-8:2), includes chapter 7's message of encouragement
                ** Ch. 7 Who Can Stand?  Those God Has Chosen, & Who Choose Him
        2.  Trumpets (Seven) of Judgments (Rev 8-9)
                a.  The Little Book  (Rev 10)
                b.  The Two Witnesses (Rev 11)
            3.  Players (Seven) on the Tribulation Stage of His-story (Rev 12-14)
                    (Woman, Child, Dragon, Michael, 144,000, Sea Beast, Earth Beast)
                  * These three chapters are an interlude, zooming in for a personal look at the people.
                        4.  Bowls (Seven) of Judgments (Rev 15-16)
                                5.  Babel's Final Fall (Rev 17-18) The Woman Who Rides The Beast
                            (The Martyr's Motive & Method:  Loving Our Enemies Into Our Family !)

  C.  Christ's Wedding & War (19:1-21) 
        (also, Rev 19 & Eph 5,  "Your Marriage Reflecting Christ's Marriage: For God's Glory & Other's Blessing)
        (also, Rev 19:11-16,  "The Real Father's Day:  The Day of the LORD)
         (also, Rev 19:17-21,  "Millennium Preparation:  Cleansing Corrupt Creation"
  D.  Millennial Kingdom (20:1-6)
  E.  Final Futile Rebellion (20:7-10)
  F.  Great White Throne & Second Death (20:11-15)
  G.  New Heaven & Earth Coming (21-22:15)
  H.  Jesus' Promise & Warning for YOU, your family, & your church (22:16-21)

Outline - 

Jesus Is Coming !
First a Review of God’s Order 
for His End-Time Events

Remember God’s Purpose for Prophecy & His-story
 = Revelation 19:10
To Reveal God’s Glory vs. Sin’s Depravity

Note below the temple distinctions between Israel & the Church,
along with the previously examined evidence in the Rev. 4-5 sermon notes.

Psa 2:8-9; Dan 11:40-45; Joel 3:9-17; Zech 14:1-5; Mat 24:27-31; Acts 1:11; 2 Thes 2:7-10; Titus 2:13; Jude 14-15

with 4 groups of unarmed troops: 
The Church His Bride / His Angels / OT Saints / Trib Martyrs, 
who come not to fight, but to reign with Him (Rom 16:20).

Only Jesus fights this war, using His Sword, which is His Word.
God’s Word created, and His Word will cleanse!

This Sword of the LORD is a symbol explicitly explained by the Bible as His Word.  As seen in our early studies, most symbols are directly explained either in the immediate context or in a previous book of the Bible (OT, especially).  So there is no need for spiritualized, allegorical assumptions.  (Isa 11:4; Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12)

The armies of the world gather at Armageddon, literally the "mount/valley of slaughter".

After God gives Satan and mankind seven years to create the utopia that humanism claims it can produce, the result is merely a man-made mess.  The nations of the world have seen the clear and detailed chronological signs laid out in Scripture about the Tribulation, especially the abomination of desolation during which the antichrist claims to be god.  Antichrist promises to lead the way to a new stage in human evolution in which "you too" can reach self-deification, "the lie".  So when unbelievers in the world see Jesus coming toward Jerusalem at the end of the tribulation, they will refuse to bow to Him as the only Lord.  They will gather near Jerusalem, at Har-Mageddon, with all of their puny nukes and biochemical weapons of mass destruction in foolish dream of stopping Jesus. 

The Antichrist & his Pseudo-prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire.

The antichrist and false prophet will be arrested and cast alive into the lake of fire.  They, as the federal heads of the Old World Disorder's church/state revolt, will be judged, convicted, sentenced, and punished ahead of all others.

The armies of the Gentile nations are killed by His Word.

Then, the armies of the antichrist will be destroyed instantly by the Word of the Lord Jesus.  He created the world by His Word out of nothing (barah), so it's a piece of cake for Him to take them out the same way.  What word will it be?  No one can say, yet it might be something as simple as "NO!".

The goats are judged & separated from the sheep, who are received into His Kingdom - Mat 25:41.

Next, God will judge the people of the nations as described in Mat 25.  Those who rejected Israel and its Messiah, Jesus, are called the goats and they will be sentenced to eternal destruction.  Those who chose to bless Israel and trust in Messiah Jesus, are the "sheep" who will be embraced by the Good Shepherd.  Believers who survive physically through the tribulation will rule during the millennial kingdom together with Jesus, along with the Church/Bride, OT believers, and Tribulation martyrs.  

Yes, there will be both glorified believers along with mortal believers living and reigning on the earth together with our Lord Jesus.  In His risen, glorified body, Jesus walked among mortal men, even through walls, for many weeks before He ascended to His Father.  Our tendency to struggle with such biblical proclamations is merely evidence of how little we believe that the supernatural realm is real and coming to reclaim this natural world for the Lord.

Daniel and Revelation describe the Tribulation week of years many times as 1,260 days (360 per year for a Jewish year).  But interestingly, Daniel mentions extended periods of days beyond the 1,260 (Rev 12:11 says 1290, and Rev 12:12 says 1335 days).  These fit perfectly with the fact that Jesus must have time to complete the sheep/goat judgments, as well as His initial delegation of responsibilities for those believers who survive the tribulation and will reign with Him in His millennial Kingdom.

Satan and his demons are leashed for 1,000 years by an angel of God, possibly Michael (Dan 12).

Lucifer and the rebels that have followed his self-serving lead will be imprisoned, so that they "can deceive the nations no longer", until the millennium is over.  The description of the giant chain is a graphic message that this binding of Satan is complete and absolute.  Those who claim we are now in some spiritualized, symbolic millennium with Satan partially bound are not taking Scripture seriously.  For God's Word says that Satan will be fully bound for a reason.

The Summary & Reason for God’s Preparation for His earthly millennial Kingdom:

1. All unbelieving people are removed.
2. All unbelieving angels are removed.
3. So the Millennium can start fresh with believers only.
4. * And fulfill the unconditional land promise of God to Abraham (Gen 15).

    In seven years, Satan and his followers will make a mess of the world.  Humanism will have its day and fail, miserably.  Then the pure and perfect God/Man, Jesus, will come, reduce the curse, initially remove unbelievers, and restore the world to a near Edenic state.  Why?  First to reveal that He can do what fallen man cannot.  He alone is good.  He will reveal the glory of His goodness and power.  Second, the paradise-like of the millennium will prove that sin is the cause of man's suffering and failure, not environment.  How?  Because many who are born during the millennium will be unbelievers, and at its end they will still rally together with the unleashed Devil and come against the Good Shepherd in a final death gasp of rebellion.

    In addition, the millennium will be the literal fulfillment of God's unconditional land covenant promised to Abraham and his descendants many times throughout the OT (see the previous sermon notes for Genesis).  Remember in Gen 15 that God alone ratified the covenant, while Abraham was unconscious.  Israel was sovereignly chosen by God, and its physical, national salvation as promised is a type of the security of salvation we individually rest in as chosen believers.

Next Week -  
            The Message of the Millennium:  Lions & Lambs Under the Lord of Love

Remember, every warning, struggle, temptation, promise, strategy, and victory in the Revelation can also play out in your life, your family, and your church!  
The choice is yours ................
What do you need to change?

(The final question to ask God, whenever you study God's Word)
Lord, how am I doing on your conflict meter, for your glory?
Giving Up < < < < Standing Firm > > > > Blowing Up

Remember there are only two modes for a believer:
* Marching forward with the gospel.
* Standing firm when conflict arises!

Return to related articles from "The Bible:  One Bite at a Time" -

Biblical Prophecy:  A Jigsaw Puzzle with Pieces Throughout the Bible
How to Interpret Prophetic Passages: Four Different Views with Important Consequences
Why "Normal" Interpretation is the Key to Prophetic & Apocalyptic Passages
Daniel's 70 Weeks: The Heart of God's Prophetic Puzzle 
      (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, Mat 24, 2 Th 2)
Introduction & Outline of The Revelation
 . . . . . . . 

For further study of prophecy:

Prophecy Today - http://www.gospelcom.net/shofar/pp/htm/report.shtml
Soulcare's Recommended Materials on Prophecy (books, audios, videos, etc.)
http://www.soulcare.org/Resources_Biblical_Authority.htm#Prophecy
Booklet:  The Rapture, by Thomas Ice & Timothy Demy
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565073924/qid%3D980349983/104-6768955-3395119
John MacArthur, D.D., The Second Coming of Jesus: Signs of Christ's Return & the End of the Age.
     - Book: This text is an excellent overview, placing the puzzle pieces together until the picture is clear.
   *- Audio Set (9 tapes): This tape set is the best I've heard yet. Nothing beats the spoken word for clarity.
J. Vernon McGee, B.D., M.Th., Th.D.,, Thru the Bible Commentary Series, Revelation.  Dr. McGee's commentaries are probably the simplest, most practical, yet thorough and biblical that are available on the Bible.
_______, Reveling Through Revelation.
Chuck Missler, Revelation Commentary in MP3 on CD.  Chuck's commentaries on Daniel, The Revelation, etc., on CD not only contain extensive study notes, but also many hours of audio teaching.
Henry Morris, Ph. D. (Physical Science doctorate), The Revelation Record.  A theologically and scientifically sound commentary on the book of The Revelation.  Dr. Morris explains the amazingly accurate scientific parallels described in the Revelation that were unknown to the culture of the first century.  Only God's direct revelation to John can explain such accuracy.  For example, the "flaming mountain" crashing into the sea during the second trumpet judgment.  How would John have known of even the possibility of massive asteroids that would ignite in our atmosphere as a result of the friction and tremendous speed?
Dwight Pentecost, Ph.D., Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. This is a 600 pp encyclopedic reference to all of the major passages, topics, and issues involved.
_________ Thy Kingdom Come:  Tracing God's Kingdom Program & Covenant Promises Throughout History.  1995.
Randall Price, Ph.D. Jerusalem in Prophecy (Th.M. graduate of   Dallas Theological Seminary and holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of  Texas at Austin. He has done graduate study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and  conducted archeological excavation in Israel with the University of  Texas in conjunction with the   teaching of courses in biblical archaeology and the history and culture of modern Israel.)
Renald Showers, Th.D., Maranatha, Our Lord, Come! A Definitive Study of the Rapture of the Church.  [Dr. Showers, a graduate of Grace Theological Seminary, serves with Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, as well as the Institute of Biblical Studies.]
John F. Walvoord, Every Prophecy of the Bible.  This reference commentary is over 600 pages long and is an invaluable tool for those studying prophecy regardless of their perspective.  When studying eschatology, nothing is more important that having a comprehensive awareness of all that the Bible says on the subject.  This new work is more than comprehensive.  It is exhaustive.  Dr. Walvoord was on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary for 50 years, and is recognized even by those who do not hold to a premillennial perspective as being one of the most knowledgeable scholars in the area of prophecy and eschatology.

Audio Message: "The Rapture: The Great Escape", John Ankerberg
http://www.khouse.org/media/conferences/steeling/stmankerberg98.html
Article:  "The Great Snatch", by Chuck Missler
http://www.khouse.org/articles/prophetic/19950101-35.html
Article:  Byzantine Text Discovery & the Rapture
http://www.khouse.org/articles/biblestudy/19950601-39.html